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In this study we provide the first comprehensive camera-trap assessment of terrestrial mammals in the Yangambi landscape, comprising the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve and a logging concession in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The terrestrial mammal community in this area exhibits lower occupancy and species richness compared to other conservation areas in the Congo Basin. The community is dominated by four species: Emin's pouched rat Cricetomys emini (1.3 kg), African brush-tailed porcupine Atherurus africanus (2.8 kg), blue duiker Philantomba monticola (5 kg) and bay duiker Cephalophus dorsalis (12 kg), which are known to be highly resilient. Large ungulates and medium-sized carnivores have particularly low abundances. Our study also confirmed the presence of four species categorized as threatened on the IUCN Red List: the chimpanzee Pan troglodytes , giant ground pangolin Smutsia gigantea , black-bellied pangolin Phataginus tetradactyla and white-bellied pangolin Phataginus tricuspis. Our findings highlight the need to consider wildlife conservation at the landscape level, including the logging concession, where species showed higher occupancy levels compared to the Biosphere Reserve, and highlighting the need for planning infrastructure construction and developing mitigation schemes, reducing forest degradation from logging and developing permanent cash crop agriculture. Landscape-level conservation will only be possible if a collaborative management model steered by local communities is developed with the participation of all constituencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amazon is one of the most diverse biomes around the globe, currently threatened by economic and industrial development and climate change. Large mammals are keystone species, playing an important role in ecosystem structure and function as ecological engineers, while being highly susceptible to deforestation, habitat degradation, and human exploitation. Using a unifying hierarchical Bayesian spatial approach, we examine the site-use patterns of four large Amazonian Forest mammals and their relationships to anthropogenic factors at a biome-wide scale. Our results showed that species' patterns of site use are correlated with human induced habitat changes, and that this correlation is species-specific. The white-lipped peccary shows highest site-use estimates within strict protected areas, affected by proximity to urban areas and benefiting from indigenous territories, the tapir responding slightly to proximity to burned forested areas, while the giant armadillo and the jaguar were primarily affected by vegetation cover loss; disturbances related to the colonization of the Amazon. Our findings contribute to the understanding of how human-induced environmental changes influence the site-use patterns of these four large mammals, and inform future conservation and land use planning. Transboundary conservation efforts, empowering and integrating native (indigenous and non-indigenous) communities in land governance schemes, involving the private sector and securing the commitment of developed countries are important paths for the protection and sustainability of the globally-crucial Amazon rainforest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]